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Masbia in The City: Eighteen Million Meals: A Look Inside New York City’s Emergency Food Aid StockpilePosted on: September 20, 2020
Read the article below written by Yoav Gonen, in The City, on plans of emergency food stockpile for the city. On Monday, 3600 cases containing fresh vegetables are scheduled to be delivered to Masbia Soup Kitchen Network in Queens and Brooklyn to help New Yorkers due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A New Jersey warehouse, set up as a supply reserve during the height of the coronavirus crisis, is distributing items to food pantries in the city. The first deliveries go out Monday.
Mayor Bill de Blasio made the announcement in April during the height of the pandemic: plans for an emergency food stockpile for the city, to be amassed in a football field-sized section of a colossal warehouse in Wayne, N.J., about 20 miles from Midtown.
Now the warehouse, containing the makings of six million meals for hungry New Yorkers, is about to begin a new life as a food-aid distribution hub, with the first deliveries set to go out Monday to pantries in Brooklyn and Queens.
THE CITY got a look at the inner workings of the operation, which has turned from a food supply-disruption backup plan to a way to serve the ongoing needs of hundreds of thousands in a growing pandemic-driven humanitarian crisis.
Stacked across five rows, climbing about 40 feet high, the site currently contains 150,000 cases of items such as elbow macaroni, instant mashed potatoes, peanut butter, black beans, and Oreo cookies.
On the refrigerated side of the warehouse operated by Driscoll Food distributors, an additional 3,600 cases containing carrots, green peppers, celery, and other fresh produce are earmarked for New York City. Overall, the city’s food reserves take up about one-sixth of the sprawling warehouse.
On Monday, as part of a revised mission away from an emergency stockpile, those 3,600 cases are scheduled to be delivered to three sites of the Masbia soup kitchen network in Brooklyn and Queens — the first time items are being distributed to New Yorkers under the emergency food initiative announced in April.
“It’s perfect timing,” said Alex Rapaport, director of Masbia. “We’re overrun with need.”
Rapaport said his group’s three sites — in Borough Park and Midwood in Brooklyn, and in Rego Park, Queens — have seen a fivefold increase in distribution, collectively serving 12 to 15 truckloads of food per week, rather than two to three pre-pandemic.
While the food distributed by Masbia is kosher, the recipients come from a wide variety of neighborhoods and immigrant communities, according to Rapaport.
“There’s always new faces,” he said. “There are people who came to us who said now that their benefits stopped, they’re feeling it for the first time.”
Emergency Food Reserve
On April 15, de Blasio announced that then-Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, who had recently been appointed the city’s food czar food czar, would help coordinate a new $170 million food distribution and security effort.
This included organizing food deliveries to the elderly and the homebound, distributing millions of “grab and go” meals at schools across the city, and creating a $50 million food reserve to protect the city from potential disruptions to the region’s food distribution system.
“This means we’ll have a failsafe, we’ll have a reserve that’s just for New York City to protect us no matter what else happens,” de Blasio announced at the time. “Even a small disruption in the food supply would have a huge negative effect on New Yorkers. We won’t let that happen.”
The original plan called for the components of 18 million shelf-stable meals to be stockpiled for emergency use — a target that the Driscoll Foods warehouse expects to meet in late October.
But instead of a stockpile, the warehouse is being retooled as a Costco-like distribution hub from which 800 of the city’s food pantries and soup kitchens can submit orders for items at no charge. And fresh produce is now part of the picture.
City officials said the mission has shifted because of an immediate need at the pantries, and because fears of widespread food disruption have eased since the height of the coronavirus crisis.
“In April, we were really preparing for the worst — for major disruptions to the supply chain of food into the city that thankfully have not occurred,” said Joshua Goodman, a Department of Sanitation spokesperson.
“Instead, we are hearing from pantries that there is a continued need for fresh produce and other products,” he added. “This program, the Pandemic Food Reserve Emergency Distribution (P-FRED), is going to help meet that need, and give pantries the freedom to choose the products their communities need.”
Garcia recently stepped down as food czar and sanitation commissioner, ahead of a potential run for mayor.
Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, said it makes sense to distribute rather than store the elements of millions of meals because of the scale of the immediate need.
“This day is pretty darn rainy,” said Berg.
By late April, more than one-third of the city’s food pantries and soup kitchens had shuttered because of the coronavirus, Gothamist reported, as volunteers became scarce.
In April and May, the state and the city, with the urging of City Council, each dedicated $25 million to bolster area food programs — particularly the overwhelmed pantries.
Berg noted that the $50 million food reserve is a “drop in the bucket” compared to the need and relative to other emergency food programs.
He said the federal SNAP program, formerly known as food stamps, distributed $395 million in June for nearly 1.7 million New Yorkers to buy food — a 12% increase compared to February.
City officials have said that the number of food-insecure New Yorkers has climbed to more than two million people — up from about 1.2 million before the crisis began in March.
“It very much is needed now,” Berg said of the distribution of food from the reserve.
According to the city’s deal with Driscoll Foods, the food reserve is slated to be depleted by June 30, 2021, unless the one-year contract is extended.
The terms require 20% of the 18 million meals to be comprised of fresh produce. Some 1.5% of the meals required to be kosher, and another 1.5% must be halal.
The maximum cost for the one-year deal is $48.5 million, the contract says.
Staff at the warehouse said they’ve seen a dramatic change in their customer base due to the coronavirus crisis.
“Our business shifted so much from bars, restaurants and country clubs… [to] the pantries and the funded agencies,” said Sara Kenyon, vice president of operations for Driscoll Foods.
On Monday, the City Council’s General Welfare Committee is slated to hold a hearing on the city’s five-month-old response to the growing hunger crisis.
Committee Chair Stephen Levin (D-Brooklyn) said members want to ensure that the city is doing all it can, given long-term needs.
“The emergency food system has been turned totally upside down with COVID, and there’s going to be an emergency food need for a long time coming out of this because of the economic impact,” he said.
Read the original article HERE.


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Could the 802.11n Logjam Finally Be Broken?
Last Friday, in a vote even some veteran observers of the networking industry weren't expecting, members of the IEEE 802.11 Working Group voted unanimously -- 100-0, with five abstentions -- to advance what's currently being called Draft 1.1 of the 802.11n high-speed WiFi standard. A subsequent vote in the spring could move the draft to 2.0 status, even though as recently as last November, the ratification of Draft 1.06 left behind, by one official count, 370 outstanding catalogued technical issues for further discussion.
With so many issues on the table, what's expected to be the final ratification of a Draft 3.0 standard, in which those issues are resolved, is tentatively scheduled for October 2008, according to a report in InfoWorld. The WiFi industry can't wait that long, and is apparently allowing last week's vote to serve as the starting gun for a new wave of "Draft-N" equipment.
But which draft are the industry players talking about? Last month, on the same day it announced its acquisition of MIMO technology leader Airgo, Qualcomm announced it was sampling the first chipset to offer "full support for Draft 2.0 of the IEEE 802.11n standard." Even now, there is no Draft 2.0, although last week's IEEE vote made Draft 1.1 look a lot more like a 2.0 in the wings.
If Qualcomm is the "sooner" in this land rush, Intel may be the "boomer." Yesterday, Intel announced it's producing a "Next-Gen Wireless-N" Mini Card adapter, as part of its evolving Centrino Duo platform. But small print in Intel's technical specifications brochure for the new card, model 4965AGN, defines "Draft-N" as referring to the 1.0 standard - the one voted down overwhelmingly by the Working Group last May. Intel has been part of a coalition, along with Broadcom, Marvell, and Atheros, to pursue as far back as late 2005 the production of chips and products that claim to follow the 1.0 draft.
The key difference between the old and new drafts has been how newer 11n equipment will coexist with older 11g and 11b equipment within the same coverage areas. For 11n's optimum throughput of 100 Mbps to be possible, it requires a 40 MHz channel. Under the rejected 1.0 draft, that channel overlapped with spectrum already allocated to 11g and the other standards, with the idea that everybody's most likely going to be upgrading anyway, so if it overlaps, that'll give consumers more incentive to trade up. That idea didn't fly.
The solution proposed in the new 1.1 draft, and that will likely be carried over into 2.0, is a re-allocation of 11n's spectrum to two 20 MHz channels. Using the radio signals WiFi already uses to determine whether a transmitter is in the area, an 11n device will detect a working 11g device in range first, and if it's active, the 11n device will temporarily shut off its second 20 MHz channel.
But here is what may be the remaining point of contention: Qualcomm's "Draft-N" devices currently being sampled will reportedly use MIMO, the multiple antenna technology it acquired from Airgo, to boost the speed on that remaining 20 MHz channel, even if the first one is shut off when an older device is in range.
While Draft 1.0 utilized a minimum of two antennas as well, Airgo chose to pursue its own MIMO implementation, which Qualcomm soon backed - and not too soon thereafter, bought. Networking equipment which doesn't really follow the letter of Draft 1.1, but may follow the spirit of it -- or some part of it -- may not adopt this option.
Since last August, the Broadcom coalition has opted to go on a different track, which veteran industry observer Glenn Fleischman calls "a slightly parallel universe." Literally moments after last week's Working Group vote, Broadcom announced the availability of its Intensi-Fi Wireless LAN chipset. But while Broadcom applauded the vote, it stated its new product "incorporates all mandatory elements of the IEEE 802.11n draft specification and is designed to be software upgradable once the standard is finalized."
Broadcom did not say "2.0," "1.1," or even "1.0." However, Intel confirmed late this afternoon to BetaNews that its Next-Gen Wireless-N products will try to follow the 1.1 draft. "We are compliant with 1.1 and expect to be with 2.0," the spokesperson told us. "The materials were written and tests done when it was just 1.0, we will be updating our materials and disclaimers as this rolls along." Broadcom has also been contacted for clarification, which may be forthcoming.
As long-time writers in the networking field have pointedly observed in recent months, it isn't exactly technically feasible for a company's products to be "compliant" with a draft of a standard. Prior to formal publication, drafts by design have unresolved issues, and Draft 1.1 of 802.11n is certainly no exception.
But others feel that the contention issues between different wideband WiFi players will literally be played out physically - not in the market, but in actual everyday use. And by the time the IEEE gets around to publishing the final 802.11n specification, you and I may have already solved this problem...albeit with some bumps and bruises along the way.
3:20 pm January 24, 2007 - A spokesperson for Broadcom told BetaNews this afternoon that it believes all the Intensi-Fi products it has been shipping since last year are in compliance with the most recent draft of the 802.11n specification, though the spokesperson declined to attach a draft number.
"We are very happy to confirm that all of our chipsets shipped to date are compliant with the most recent IEEE 802.11n draft specification," the spokesperson wrote, "and we are confident that our Intensi-fi products will be upgradeable to the final standard."

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- Buyer Box
- 2019 Earnie Awards
- Market Calendar
Dallas Market launches the Total Lifestyle Market for summer 2020.
Dallas Market Center is launching the Total Lifestyle Market starting in June 2020, bringing together all major markets for the first time in one place. Over the course of seven days, retailers can meet vendors from apparel, accessories, home & gift, lighting and children’s markets.
The change comes on the heels of extensive research through surveys, attendance data and focus groups that show retailers diversifying their merchandise mix and demanding Dallas Market do the same, says Cindy Morris, president and CEO of Dallas Market Center.
“By combining events into a Total Lifestyle Market, we are creating a must-visit destination and an energetic show that will be greater than the sum of its parts,” Morris says. “Maximizing opportunities to deliver more buyers drives every strategic decision–including the redevelopment of the IHDC building, launching Dallas Design Week, hiring new executives, enhancing marketplace technology, debuting special exhibitions like Brand Assembly, and engaging new marketing programs.”
Construction is already underway on 250,000-square-foot space on the 11th floor of the World Trade Center, which will host gift temporary exhibits during the June 2020 show. Existing trade show space on the 12th and 13th floor will continue to be used for apparel and accessories temporary exhibits.


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Candy Crush: California Bill Would Ban the Sale of Skittles
In a Nutshell:
- California’s Assembly Bill (AB) 418, introduced by Democratic Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, proposes banning the sale of processed foods containing certain chemicals deemed harmful.
- If approved by the California State Senate, the bill would make California the first state in the US to prohibit these chemicals in processed foods.
- The bill encourages companies to modify their recipes, much like they have in countries where these chemicals are already banned.
The California legislature is considering a new bill that could potentially alter the ingredient composition of many popular snacks, candies, and other foods available for sale.
Introduced by Jesse Gabriel, a Democratic assemblymember from Woodland Hills, California, the legislation seeks to prohibit the sale of processed foods that contain specific chemicals deemed to be harmful and toxic.
The measure, known as Assembly Bill (AB) 418, prohibits the manufacture, sale, or distribution of any food product in California containing certain chemicals, such as red dye No. 3, titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, and propylparaben.
The legislation underscores that each chemical listed is currently banned in the European Union due to scientific evidence suggesting their harmful effects.
Gabriel, who also chairs the Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee, refers to various studies and reports that suggest these additives can pose risks to the reproductive and immune systems, cause behavioral issues in children, and increase the risk of cancer in animals.
Gabriel stated, “Californians shouldn’t have to worry that the food they buy in their neighborhood grocery store might be full of dangerous additives or toxic chemicals.”
The Assembly approved AB 418 on Monday, May 15.
If it passes the California State Senate, the Golden State would become the first in the nation to ban the use of these chemicals in processed foods.
Notably, red dye No. 3 is already prohibited in cosmetics since 1990.
The bill is expected to be reviewed in committees in the upcoming weeks.
However, Gabriel clarified in an email to TODAY.com that the intention is not to implement an outright ban of products like Skittles, but rather to encourage companies to modify their recipes to exclude the specified chemicals.
“Skittles and many other brands have already made changes to their recipes in the European Union, the UK, and other nations where these chemicals are banned,” Gabriel said.
“We simply want them to do the same thing in the United States.”


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The indie developed strategy title Orcs Must Die! has been met with respectable acclaim since it's October 2011 launch on XBLA and Steam and it seems that has translated into financial success as developer Robot Entertainment has just announced a sequel, the appropriately-named Orcs Must Die! 2.
Orcs Must Die! 2 thrusts players and their friends back into battle against a terrifying mob of orcs and other monsters. With a redesigned spellbook, players will have a broader range of options to build a deadly arsenal of defenses. Investing hard-earned skulls in an enormous new upgrade system will allow players to cater to their favorite methods of burning, grinding, tossing, or dismembering orcs.
The feature list for number 2 boasts new enemies, more defences and a new upgrade system as well as a new full-length campaign, but this time they're including coopertive multiplayer support.


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Pune: The Pune District Retailers
has urged Pune Municipal Corporation
to allow shops
to function for more hours and also permit non-essential shops to provide home deliveries in specific time slots, in view of the drop in the number of daily cases.
The association recently submitted a memorandum to the municipal commissioner.
The association said the essential shops were operating only in the morning, while non-essential shops had been completely shut for a month. This had led to a huge financial setback. Some relaxations could be given, the association stated.
, president of the Pune District Retailers’ Association, said, “The state government
and civic administration imposed strict restrictions last month after Covid-19 cases had increased. The shopkeepers accepted the decision and followed the restrictions diligently for over a month. Now, the cases have been reducing and the situation appears to be under control. The government should allow all shops to function for limited hours,” he added.
A trader, Suresh Mehta, said that many had faced huge losses because of the restrictions. “We are asking for a relaxation for a few hours. This is because the cases have reduced considerably. The shopkeepers will follow all the necessary steps,” Mehta said.
Nivangune said that a demand had also been made to provide vaccines to the staffers working in the retailers’ shops. “There is a shortage of vaccines, which has led to overcrowding at the vaccination centres. The staffers at retail shops are trying their best to get the doses, but are facing many challenges. It will be good if the administration vaccinates the staffers because they are almost like the frontline workers,” Nivangune said.
Mahendra Pitaliya, secretary of Federation of Trade Associations of Pune
, said that all non-essential shops were shut for a month. The shopkeepers were not in a position to bear the restrictions any more, he said.


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If ever you need a clue as to what’s coming next from the guys at Google, take a look at their lawn decorations. If there’s a big, new, dessert-shaped statue sitting there, you’re probably only a few days away from a big launch too.
In this case, it’s the launch of the Ice Cream Sandwich OS, with a giant dairy-based Android monolith now sitting outside Google HQ.
The OS, which looks to bridge the gap between Google’s smartphone and tablet operating systems, is now set for an October 19th Hong Kong launch (10AM local time, 3AM UK GMT time).
The launch was initially due earlier this week, but Google and hardware partner Samsung decided to postpone the launch as a mark of respect for the late Apple boss Steve Jobs.
Samsung are expected to launch the Samsung Nexus Prime (or Samsung Galaxy Nexus as it may otherwise be known) at the event, with rumoured specs suggesting a 4.7-inch Super-AMOLED and dual-core 1.5GHz processor on board.
Hit the video above to check out Google’s teaser for their new mobile OS.


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The company wants to supplement the loss of revenue from mortgage banking with a potentially large acquisition. CEO Gary Douglass says he is interested in banks with $400 million to $1 billion in assets.
Pulaski in St. Louis Looking for In-Market Deals
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Visa-free travel within the continent has been a goal of the African Union (AU) for the past decade. While there are regional deals and bilateral arrangements, progress towards no restrictions has been slow. Only Seychelles, The Gambia and Benin offer entry to all African citizens without a visa, according to a 2022 AU-backed report. But according to Africa’s Visa Openness Index – which measures the extent to which each country in Africa is open to visitors from other African countries – most countries are making progress towards simplifying entry processes and dropping restrictions to some other nations. If dropping all visa restrictions is currently a step too far, the Visa Openness Index report recommends a number of other measures. These include lowering fees, making visa on arrival standard for African visitors and implementing a secure e-visa system.
Kenya To End Visa Requirements to all African Visitors by the End of the Year
- AFRICA TOP 10
- 1 min read


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As trade indicator hits a nine-year low; WTO cautions of worldwide trade slowdown
A quarterly driving pointer of world stock exchange drooped to its most minimal position in nine years on Tuesday, which should put policymakers on the watch for a more keen stoppage if pressures continue, the World Trade Organization said on Tuesday.
The WTO’s quarterly standpoint pole, a composite of seven drivers of trade and commerce, demonstrated a position of 96.3, the weakest since March 2010 and down from 98.6 in November. A reading underneath 100 flags unusual development in trade.
“This constant loss of momentum features the criticalness of lessening trade tensions, which together with continued political vulnerabilities and financial unpredictability could anticipate a more extensive monetary downturn,” the WTO said in an announcement.
The WTO estimate last September that worldwide trade development would ease back to 3.7 percent in 2019 from an expected 3.9 percent in 2018, yet there could be a more extreme stoppage or a bounce back contingent upon policy steps, it said.
The quarterly marker depends on stock exchange volume in the past quarter, export requests, worldwide airship cargo, container port throughput, vehicle manufacturing and sales, electronic segments and raw agricultural materials.
“Lists for export orders (95.3), worldwide airship cargo (96.8), vehicle manufacturing and sales (92.5), electronic segments (88.7) and raw agricultural materials (94.3) have appeared strongest deviations from the pattern, drawing nearer or beating past lows since the financial emergency,” the WTO said.
The file for container port throughput remained moderately light at 100.3, however that may have been affected by a front-stacking of shipments before a foreseen climb in U.S.- China trade tariffs, the WTO said.
Universal trade tensions could hike one month from now if the United States and China raise their tax war, a stage that could have negative ramifications for the world trading framework, as per the United Nations trade agency UNCTAD.
Another round of U.S.- China talks will happen in Washington on Tuesday, with follow-up sessions at a superior level later in the week, the White House said on Monday, following around in Beijing a week ago.


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Video games are full of action and adventure, but the stocks of the companies that make look surprisingly safe to Kaufman Brothers cable and satellite analyst Todd Mitchell.
"This is a discretionary item that is bought by a demographic that typically is not that economic-sensitive," Mitchell told CNBC from the Game Developers' Conference in San Francisco. "There's other things that go first. I don't think this sector's going to be that impacted by any sort of economic slowdown."
There are even big opportunities for some firms.
"You saw Guitar Hero," he said. "That came out of an independent studio that Activision bought for, I think, a hundred million dollars and turned into a billion-dollar franchise."
Mitchell rates Activision and Electronic Arts
at "hold." He's much more enthusiastic about Take Two Interactive Software.
"Take Two is coming out with GTA [the latest version of its blockbuster Grand Theft Auto] in April, and that's going to be a huge release," he explained. "That's going to be a $250-$300 million weekend, and I think the stock is extremely cheap at these levels."


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Nike (NKE) reported quarterly results that beat Wall Street’s estimates on the top and bottom lines. The athletic apparel giant also improved its gross profit margins and posted strong sales in North America and China for the quarter.
The Beaverton, Oregon-based company delivered adjusted earnings of 52 cents per share, exceeding consensus estimates of 46 cents per share, according to Bloomberg data. Revenue came in at $9.37 billion for the quarter, also beating estimates of $9.17 billion.
The sportswear brand posted gross profit margins of 43.8% for the quarter, exceeding consensus estimates of 43.5%. Last quarter, gross margins had come in slightly weak, missing estimates by 10 basis points.
Shares of Nike surged 8.1% to $73.00 each as 4:26 p.m. ET following the results.
“Nike’s ambitious digital transformation is driving strong results and momentum in North America and in our international geographies,” Mark Parker, chairman and CEO of Nike, said in a statement. “We’re incredibly energized about 2019 – with a full innovation pipeline; the most personal, responsive retail experiences in the industry; and a supply chain that’s delivering speed at scale.”
The latest earnings results, which capture the three months ending in November, encapsulate the debut of Nike’s controversial advertisement featuring former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in early September. The stock initially fell and then jumped following the launch of the Kaepernick campaign but has limped along in the months following as geopolitical concerns have weighed on apparel and footwear stocks with potential exposure to trade-related factors.
Nike’s stock has tumbled about 20% since hitting an all-time intraday high of $86.04 per share on September 21. The stock was up 7% for the year-to-date as of market close Thursday.
Analysts have pointed to growth in North American sales as a source of strength for the company. Nike executives said during a conference call last quarter that the company was on track for “strong, sustainable growth” in its key North American market.
North American revenue for the fiscal second quarter of 2019 was $3.78 billion, outpacing estimates of $3.7 billion. The company also beat expectations for revenue in Greater China, which totaled $1.54 billion versus $1.43 billion anticipated.
“Looking into 2019, we see sales momentum continuing from the global rollout of its digital initiatives (such as NikePlus membership and SNKRS app), market share gains in North America, and continued strength in China, combined with operating margin expansion stemming from product innovation, supply chain benefits and digital growth,” Cristina Fernandez, an analyst with Telsey Advisory Group, wrote in a note ahead of results.
Nike’s retail partners have recently pointed to strength in demand for the brand among U.S. consumers. Foot Locker (FL) executives said on a conference call in November that Nike Air Max shoes helped lift footwear sales, while Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS) executives said that they were “extremely pleased with Nike on both the footwear side and the apparel side.”
Emily McCormick is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @emily_mcck
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Europe Hasn’t Been Ruled Out As Possible Export Market
After a March report that BMW will be teaming up with its longtime China joint venture partner Brilliance to create a domestic sub-brand, the German carmaker’s global sales representative recently told Automotive News Europe that the company intends to sell the brand overseas.
BMW’s joint venture with Shenyang-based Brilliance has been producing BMW-branded sedans since 2003, and news broke in March that they would soon be releasing a domestic sub-brand called Zhi Nuo (之诺), which translates roughly to “The Promise.” Several foreign car companies such as Toyota and General Motors have entered the sub-brand market in China in recent years, but BMW is the first luxury car retailer to take the additional step beyond joint venture status.
Xinhua reports that this move was likely related to BMW’s plans to expand production, stating that regulations require joint ventures to create a domestic sub-brand in order to do so. Car blogger Dan Mihalascu at Car Scoops has speculated that BMW most likely doesn’t consider sub-branding ideal, but if it plans to expand production in China, “it has to, as regulations are becoming stricter for foreign manufacturers in the world’s largest car market.” According to Mihalascu, “China is pushing for the creation of sub-brands within the existing joint ventures because the sub-brands will be 100 percent Chinese and will have all the rights on intellectual property.”
The claim that Zhi Nuo vehicles could be introduced to the international market may be intended to counteract sentiments that the brand’s models may not be up to BMW’s typical luxury standards. Zhi Nuo is reportedly likely to produce cars based on older BMW models, although the company has not confirmed this.
The formal announcement to unveil Zhi Nuo will reportedly be made at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show in late April, when BMW and Brilliance’s official statement will likely shed more light on their goals for the new venture.


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December was a busy time for car parks across Wokingham with transport bosses in the borough announcing the Christmas rush has helped increase year-on-year ticket sales.
Despite providing shoppers with free parking on Saturdays throughout the month Wokingham Borough Council has revealed 5,619 tickets were purchased by motorists during the first full week of December.
Figures show 575 more tickets were purchased at council car parks in Wokingham, Woodley, Twyford and Wargrave compared to the same week in 2010.
The council owns car parks at The Paddocks, Denmark Street, Easthampstead Road, Rose Street and Cockpit Path in Wokingham, Headley Road, Crockhamwell Road, Lytham Road (east and west) in Woodley, Polehampton Close in Twyford and School Lane in Wargrave.
And on Saturday, December 3, 10, and 24, transport bosses waived hourly rates for using these car parks as part of an unnual incentive offered to shoppers at Christmas.
Although encouraged by the car parking figures for December Councillor Keith Baker, executive member for transport at the borough council, said the numbers represent what he described as a “consistent” year for parking across Wokingham.
He added increases in the number of tickets and hours sold throughout 2011 has made it difficult for him to even consider proposing the idea of increasing prices at car parks in the future.
Cllr Baker said: “Christmas is usually a busy time for car parking across Wokingham.
“I have been monitoring the ticket sales and also the hours sold because clearly ticket sales tell you the footfall and also because we want people to stay in our town centres longer because they have more time to spend.
“I have been monitoring the figures ever since we had to put the prices up on parking four years ago. Usage has been going up on an average and the numbers have been getting better right across the board.”
Cllr Baker said figures show July, August, September and October were particularly encouraging for usage at town centre car parks, with usage in these particular months up 1.2 per cent, 2.7 per cent, 3.3 per cent and four per cent respectively on the same time in 2010.
“Obviously we are quite pleased with the figures,” Cllr Baker said.
“We would have to have an amazingly strong business case to increase the price of tickets, and although usage has been quite constant with increased ticket sales I still consider these figures to be a bit fragile and I am sure traders in the town centre will feel the same.
“Therefore I would not want to do anything to harm that.”
Town centre trader John Piasecki, who is the proprietor of Hudson Bay in Denmark Street, compared the volume of shoppers visiting Wokingham town centre throughout 2011 to a rollercoaster, saying: “The start of the year was very encouraging but the middle of the year less so and the summer really wasn’t great.
The weather during May, June, July and August wasn’t special and being a clothes retailer doesn’t help and it was a bit flat during the summer.
“The autumn started off pretty well for us and so did December, but in the middle it got disappointing and thankfully picked up the last few days before Christmas. If car parking in 2012 can stay consistent, great, if it can improve – brilliant.”
When asked what he hoped 2012 would bring for town centre revenue Mr Piasecki added: “What happens next year is anybody's guess, but from a retailer perspective it is about getting the right merchandise to bring people to the town.
"Get it right and it will be a successful year; get it wrong and it could be another struggle.”


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There were a couple of great free money opportunities today.
The first arrived at around 1pm UK time – news came out that online bookie / exchange Betfair had paid out on any “No” Scottish referendum bets… I guess this was mostly a promotional thing, but it provided some upwards impetus to 6B.
The big one came a few hours later… CNY500 billion additional QE thanks to the Peoples Bank of China. Well, you could have bought almost anything – and you didn’t need to be particularly quick either.
Anyway, Aussie dollar or Gold futures would have been a fine choice…


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Telco du says revamp gives customers 'better value for money'
UAE residents can now reap the benefits of more flexible WiFi options across more locations than ever before with WiFi UAE, according to telecom operator du.
du said it is revamping its WiFi UAE pricing options to suit the needs of different profile users in a wide variety of locations, continuing to support the goal of making Dubai a smart city as part of the UAE Vision 2021.
With the introduction of the new price plans, there will now be options for 1, 3, and 10 days, offering more flexibility and allowing short-term visitors and casual users to match their internet with their unique needs.
The new pricing will be AED10 for 4 hours over the course of a day, AED25 for 12 hours over a 3 day period, and AED50 for 32 hours access over 10 days.
"With these new pricing options, customers will be getting better value for their money, as they will be able to connect for more hours per AED, whilst also having the option to opt for the smaller value purchase," said du in a statement.
This revamp will help those users get the most out of their WiFi by enabling video streaming, social media, and a media-rich browsing experience by introducing short-term duration packages, it added.
Jihad Tayara, vice president Business Development and Partnerships, du said: “With the constant increase of new users, we are revamping our pricing options to meet their demands. In spirit of this, we will be running a 3-month promotion on our WiFi packages.
"Our free WiFi will continue to offer reliable internet connection, and will be unchanged by this revamp, but now users will have the choice to benefit from flexible WiFi packages which will offer high-speed internet access for all of their online needs. Users will be able to pay with their UAE/GCC credit cards, or du Recharge Cards, making it quick and easy to get online.”
Initially launched in 2015, WiFi UAE is built on a freemium model, offering two types of access. The first is free access, but with limited speed; and the second is Premium WiFi, offering high-speed access for a specified payment.
du has introduced WiFi UAE in a number of high footfall areas including RTA serviced areas such as the Dubai Metro and Tram, Malls, Emaar Boulevard, Downtown Dubai and Global Village. For more information please visit www.WiFiUAE.ae.For all the latest tech news from the UAE and Gulf countries, follow us on Twitter and Linkedin, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily.


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Any deal involving the sale of True Religion Apparel Inc. will have to take place without its founder at the helm.
The Los Angeles-based premium denim firm said late Tuesday that Jeffrey Lubell, who founded the company in 2002, has stepped down as chairman, chief executive officer and creative director. He will be succeeded on an interim basis as ceo by Lynne Koplin, who’s been the company’s president since 2011 after joining as chief operating officer in 2010.
The changes come as the company enters the sixth month of its quest for strategic alternatives, including a possible sale, and just three weeks after it told investors that Lubell’s employment contract, scheduled to expire on June 30, would not be renewed in light of its exploration of a sale or other transaction.
The quest for a buyer is being led by a special committee of the company’s board made up of nonmanagement directors. Guggenheim Securities LLC is the committee’s financial advisor and Greenberg Traurig LLP serves as legal counsel.
“I am very proud of all that the company achieved during this decade of both achievements and challenges,” Lubell said. “Now is the right time to facilitate the next phase of the company’s development and growth and for me to seek new creative endeavors.”
Koplin joined True Religion following five years as president of the women’s division of Oxford Industries Inc.’s Tommy Bahama brand. Earlier, she’d worked at Warnaco Group and retail nameplates I. Magnin, Marshall Field’s and Burdines.
True Religion’s board issued a statement noting that, under Lubell’s leadership, “True Religion has become a premier global fashion company, far exceeding its original goals. Jeff’s vision for and commitment to this business has been, and will continue to be, a key driver of True Religion’s success. He has not just made a mark on our company but on the industry as a whole.”
Under Lubell’s leadership, characterized by an aggressive, sometimes confrontational style, True Religion has been a leader in the premium denim space and, along with the smaller Joe’s Jeans Inc., is one of only two U.S.-based companies in the sector that are publicly held. Sales in 2012 rose 11.3 percent to $467.3 million, with same-store sales in its U.S. consumer direct business up 2.7 percent, while net income gained 2.3 percent to $46 million. Its retail operations, a key component of recent growth on both the top and bottom lines, have swelled to 122 stores in the U.S. and 30 in international markets.
According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Feb. 7, Lubell owned just over 591,000 shares of True Religion stock, giving him a stake of about 2.3 percent.
Shares on Tuesday closed down 21 cents, or 0.8 percent, at $27.16 prior to the disclosure of the management transition. They were unchanged in the early stages of after-hours trading.
“What he has done at Vuitton is really exceptional,” said @gameofthrones’ actress Gwendoline Christie on @mrkimjones’ final show for @louisvuitton. “He has rebooted luxury in terms of making it commercial, viable and contemporary. And most importantly artistic. He has never compromised his artistic vision for the sake of commodity.” (📷: @zefashioninsider)
After seeing a demand for men’s wear from its customers, British contemporary women’s wear label @ariesarise has added a men’s wear component and will launch a unisex collection with @mrporterlive. The 20-piece collection includes jackets, denim, logo T-shirts and more with deconstructed ‘90s vibes. Set to launch on January 18, you can shop the pieces on Aries’ website and on mrporter.com. #wwdfashion
“And so spending so much time with a character who thinks like that, inevitability you try and analyze yourself and go back and think about your own demons and dark chapters that you had in your life,” says @thedanielbruhl of his role in TNT’s “The Alienist.” The show, set in the Gilded Age of New York, also stars Dakota Fanning and Luke Evans. Head to WWD.com to read about how 39-year-old Brühl prepared for the role and why he thinks the show is so relevant to today #wwdeye ( 📷: @Eriktanner)
Now that Celine Dion’s collection has topped $10 million in sales, the pop superstar, fashion icon and newly-minted industry player is eyeing growth in Asia. Read the full report by @tiffanyap, link in bio. #wwdnews #celinedion
“My personal philosophy to beauty is paying attention to oneself. I love to be outdoors, lots of fresh air, trying to take care of yourself as best you can. I always notice that comes through,” says Felicity Jones, the global face of @shiseido-owned @cledepeaubeauteus, which launches today. Head to WWD.com to read more about the actress’ love for beauty and how she prepared for her new role in “The Basis of Sex,” playing the young Ruth Bader Ginsburg. #wwdbeauty (📷: @dandoperalski)
Among the familiar faces at @off____white’s show was a surprise figure: Japanese artist @takashipom, pictured here on Wednesday morning. Other show-goers included @jerrylorenzo, who spoke about his upcoming project: a @nike collaboration for back to school, with designs inspired by his childhood on the West Coast. Sitting in the front row were Future, Don Crawley, @miguel and more. See the rest of the photos on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: Stephane Feugere)
According to @laurentsai, former “Terrace House: Aloha State” cast member, she didn’t know she was auditioning for the Japanese version of “Real World.” “I was telling a couple of my friends and someone’s like, ‘That sounds a lot like Terrace House.’ I was like, ’No it can’t be.’” Turns out, it was. But Tsai isn’t just a reality star — she’s an illustrator who has worked with Starbucks Japan and most recently, she’s dipping her toes into the fashion world. Head to WWD.com to read about her time on the show, modeling and her art. #wwdeye (📷: @danieldorsa)
More changes are coming to New York Fashion Week: Beginning with the spring 2019 collection, @alexanderwangny will move his New York show to June from September, adopting a biannual schedule with collections shown in June and December. Additionally, the @cfda is planning for an official summer/winter fashion season taking place as soon as June and December 2018. Read more about the upcoming changes on WWD.com. #wwdnews #wwdfashion (📷: @slovekinpics)


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The Role of Media
How this article is a example of the media as biased because the article continually states there favoring over women make better money mangers than men. Which can come across as sexist and disrespectful towards men.
How this article is an example of the media as watchdog because it states that Obama (government and powerful person) plans factory jobs boost up. Since right now in the economy jobs are hard to get and even harder to keep so when people hear that Obama is going to create more jobs people are going to want to read the article.
How this article is a example of the media as agenda setter is 32.5 is a huge amount of money to refund on apps and people all around the world have apple products such as computers, phones , iPad etc. Since because most people have these products there are going to want to read this article.


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Venture capital funding in the cryptocurrency market is showing no signs of slowing, as major investors continue to back promising startups in niche industries spanning the metaverse, nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and GameFi.
Cointelegraph’s new series, VC Roundup, provides a rundown of some of the biggest funding stories of the past few weeks. To stay informed on the latest developments from the world of blockchain business, be sure to register for our Crypto Biz newsletter, which is delivered to your inbox every Thursday.
Animoca Brands leads NFT3 raise
Web3 identity network NFT3 raised $7.5 million in seed investments to continue building its decentralized identity and credit network platforms. The funding was led by Animoca Brands with additional participation from LD Capital, CMS Holdings, Tenzor Capital, Ankr Network, DFG Group, Prometheus Labs Ventures and others.
NFT3 is utilizing nonfungible tokens for Digital Identity Systems, also known as DIDs, which are considered to be the next frontier of digital identity in the Web3 age. Animoca co-founder Yat Siu described NFTs as being the “cornerstones of identity in Web3” and an increasingly important component of the metaverse.
Hartmann Capital launches metaverse fund
Crypto-focused investment firm Hartmann Capital has raised $30 million for its metaverse fund, potentially opening the door to new investment opportunities in the emerging sector. The Hartman Metaverse Ventures I seeks to invest in various aspects of the metaverse sector, including infrastructure, content and access points. The company said it will back “early-stage token and equity deals” and pursue additional investment opportunities via its NFT portfolio.
Arca closes $50M NFT fund
Crypto asset management firm Arca has created a new hedge fund product that allows financial institutions to more seamlessly integrate nonfungible tokens into their portfolios. The NFT Arca Fund, which reached its $50 million cap in an oversubscribed raise, aims to generate yield and equity through NFT purchases. The new Arca fund will focus on digital property, digital collectibles, in-game assets and identity tokens.
Big banks spent years calling Bitcoin and crypto a scam. But now they believe crypto is a “maturing asset class” similar to the internet in the mid-1990s. CT Business Editor @forgeforth_ has the scoop. https://t.co/RHgI3qlrNb
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) February 11, 2022
NFT market aggregator Hyperspace raises $4.5M
Solana NFT marketplace aggregator Hyperspace recently closed a $4.5 million seed round with backing from Jump Capital, Galaxy Digital, Coinbase Ventures, Soma Capital, Solana Capital and others. Hyperspace will use the fresh financing on product development, building in-house capacity and increasing its marketing efforts.
Hyperspace provides an aggregation platform, allowing users to discover and shop NFTs across the entire Solana ecosystem. It also allows users to mint and trade NFTs directly on Hyperspace.
Alexis Ohanian’s 776 to be majority crypto by end of 2022
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian is no stranger to the cryptocurrency market. His venture capital firm, 776 Management LLC, was behind a $100 million Web3 growth fund in November 2021 alongside Solana Ventures. Now, Ohanian’s 776 has launched two new funds, collectively worth $500 million, dedicated to investing in startups at various stages in their development. While Ohanian didn’t give specific numbers, he told The Wall Street Journal that crypto “will be the majority of the portfolio by the end of this year.”
Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six venture capital firm is partnering with Polygon to back projects at the intersection of social media and Web 3.0. https://t.co/EEpSduJB91
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) December 17, 2021
Ohanian’s growing interest in crypto is based on his assessment of where the talent is going. “Talent has never led me wrong,” he said, referring to the massive influx of software developers to the cryptocurrency industry. According to venture firm Electric Capital, roughly 34,000 new developers contributed to open-source crypto projects in 2021, the highest on record.


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Acid, Cement Specialists welcome new sibling
Since the founding of Acid Specialists, LLC, in September of 2008, Alex Hinojos and Javier Urias have started companies at the rate of almost one per year. They added Cement Specialists in November of 2010, then last month they birthed Frac Specialists as the third sibling company.
After starting with just four employees, including Hinojos, who is vice president of cement operations, and Urias, vice president of acid operations, who also heads up frac operations, they expect to expand to more than 100 employees in the next two to three months as they fully staff their frac trucks.
Facilities must also be expanded to handle the growth, so the companies just bought an additional two acres to add to the eight they already had at their 4004 N. CR 1150 office. They are also expanding the building.
Both had expected to add to operations as time went on, but neither saw the growth coming as fast as it did.
"We're up to four cement crews already and we've got five acid crews and then we've got one frac crew right now," Urias counted. He added that the initial plan was to see where the business was in five years, and "now, here we are in year three" and have already far exceeded their expectations.
The two met in the 1990s when both worked on fracturing crews for American Energy. By the time they decided to start these companies Hinojos was at Triple N, which had just been bought out by Basic Energy, and Urias was running the acid yard for Weatherford. Both were dissatisfied with their situations and wanted a change. Urias had reached what he considered the top at Weatherford, with a comfortable desk job, but he longed for a personal stake. Hinojos pointed out that they both knew every aspect of their business very well, so that gave them confidence that they could make their own business work. They decided to start with acidizing because it was in great demand and they had extensive experience in that area
Right now, oil prices are strong and just about every Oil Patch company has more business than it can handle. But when Urias and Hinojos started their companies in 2008, things were just crashing from the heady days of nearly $150 per barrel oil. "A lot of people thought we were crazy," Hinojos recalled. "I had guys that said, 'Are you stupid? Are you dumb?'" Others told him he was putting his family in jeopardy by leaving a good job to start his own company.
The very beginning was very good, and is probably what kept them going. "We started off real fast, until the end of '08," said Urias, "then of course '09 is when the oilfield kind of started dropping off." By having started just before prices dropped, they already had clients who continued with them.
And because the downturn was short-lived - Urias noted things began to pick back up as soon as the summer of 2009 - they were actually able to use the downturn to their advantage. Hinojos said they bought a significant amount of equipment during the downturn, at prices that were much lower than they had been just a few months before. In fact, "We're still getting equipment now that we bought when it was slow," he noted. That was the time frame during which they ordered the fracturing equipment, which took 18 months to be delivered. They had to hope that demand would return by the time the equipment arrived. "That's just the chance you take," Urias pointed out.
Staffing has so far been no problem, even in a time of personnel shortage for most companies. Urias and Hinojos are still able to hire people they worked with - and trusted - at other companies, and those people are excited about the opportunity to work for this startup.
Now the two entrepreneurs count a variety of companies of all sizes as regular customers, from majors to mom and pops. Either Hinojos or Urias personally bids each job and goes to the job site at some point, keeping the small company feel even as they expand.
Part of the challenge of rapid expansion is deciding how to pay for trucks that can cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars each. These companies are able to pay out of cash flow, being careful not to overspend. Urias and Hinojos also have in the back of their minds that there has never yet been a boom that did not end. This has led them to buy used pickup trucks for their own use and to stay slightly understaffed to reduce the chances for layoffs should business slow down.
With demand for all three aspects of their business strong - especially for fracturing - further expansion is likely, especially if the next five years are anything like the first three.
Paul Wiseman can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Global markets have just been through an extraordinary week. But it doesn’t get any easier from tomorrow with a monster diary of data and events in Australia and across the globe.
That – together with signs from Fed vice-chair Stanley Fischer at Jackson Hole over the weekend that the September FOMC meeting is live – is going to keep traders on their toes.
In a purely trading sense the rebound that we saw in the second half of last week after the acute weakness in stocks, commodities, commodity currencies and the US dollar over Monday and Tuesday was some of the easiest profits long-term traders will have ever made. That’s because markets were so oversold and ripe for a snap-back. As Robert Shiller wrote in the New York Times last Thursday the five-day decline that saw the S&P 500 lose 10% in 5 days has only happened 9 times since 1950.
That’s rare, that’s oversold, and the price action which saw the Dow, S&P and indices around the globe rebound was mirrored in everything from crude oil, to copper, to the Euro (which reversed of its rally to 1.17), bonds, the VIX and so on.
Markets were oversold and bounced.
That snapback was the easy part.
Longer term, questions about stock valuations in the US and in other developed countries remain. Likewise questions of what the Fed, and other central banks like the Bank of England, our own Reserve Bank (which the market is increasingly expecting to cut rates again) need to be resolved.
Which means the data flow this week, which includes the RBA decision, Australian second quarter GDP, an ECB decision and US non-farm payrolls are vitally important.
Here’s the NAB’s summary of the massive week ahead in Australia:
A super week busy lies ahead for the Australian data and policy event calendar, with highlights being Tuesday’s RBA Board meeting (no change highly likely) and Wednesday’s June quarter GDP release.
There are the pre-GDP June quarter partials on Monday and Tuesday (profits, non-farm inventories, aggregate wages Monday, net exports, terms of trade, and government spending Tuesday). And there is a welter of monthly partials, starting Monday with the TD-MI CPI gauge (August), New Home Sales (July) and RBA credit (July). Then Tuesday sees the weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer confidence, the AiG PMI Manufacturing index (August), Building Approvals (July) then in the afternoon RBA commodity prices (August) and the CoreLogic RP Data House prices (also August). Wednesday sees the NAB Online Retail Sales index (July, and ahead of July ABS retail sales Thursday). On Thursday is international trade and retail trade (both July), while the three AiG PSI Services indexes (August) start Tuesday.
It’s simply huge, the biggest week of the quarter in many respects for local data watchers.
While the RBA, and any hints on interest rates cuts and the Aussie dollar is important it’s GDP and retail sales which are the key events.
In terms of GDP, the NAB is betting on a 0.6% print, Westpac sees 0.4% and the market has a range of between -0.1% to +0.7%. But the UBS economics team in Sydney reckons there is a big chance that Australia might already be in recession and that there is an increased probability of a negative print after Capex last week.
UBS economists George Tharenou and Scott Haslem said in a note on GDP Friday that:
Our base-case Q2 GDP forecast of 0.2% q/q (1.9% y/y) is below consensus, but capex survey data suggests some chance of a negative print, which would raise the risk of a technical recession ahead (i.e. 2 consecutive quarters of negative real GDP).
Indeed, Q2 nominal GDP is likely to fall q/q (-0.3%, +0.7% y/y), the weakest since the GFC – hit by a collapsing terms of trade , record low wages & ~flat profits. Hence, the broadest measure of ‘income’ – Real Net National Disposable Income (i.e. real GDP adjusted for terms of trade & foreign ownership) – is in recession (after Q1’s -0.2% y/y).
If they are right and the nominal GDP goes backwards it likely feels recessionary in some parts of the economy even beyond the mining sector.
But, while important, GDP is backward looking – we do after all enter September this week, so retail sales might give a better lead on how well the economic transition is actually taking shape, or not.
Westpac says that “July will see any Budget-related spending lift reverse. Consumer sentiment also fell quite sharply following renewed instability in Europe and a slump in China’s sharemarket. However, the evidence from private sector business surveys and anecdotal reports suggests Q2 sales momentum has been sustained.” There forecast is a rise of 0.4% to follow last month’s 0.7% increase. The market is looking for between +0.1% and +0.5%.
Offshore the reverberations of Fed vice-chair comments over the weekend are going to be the big topic of conversation in dealing rooms and around the investment committee table early this week. To summarise Fisher hinted that these 7 charts give him “good reason to believe” inflation will move higher.
BI US’s Sam Ro reported over the weekend that Fischer said “given the apparent stability of inflation expectations, there is good reason to believe that inflation will move higher as the forces holding down inflation dissipate further.”
Which means that the ISM manufacturing data on Tuesday night, Australian time, is going to be important but that the non-farm payrolls in the US on Friday night, and the lead up releases of ADP employment on Wednesday night and Challenger job cuts and non-farm payrolls on Thursday night will be vitally important in highlighting that the US economic strength (last week we saw Q2 GDP upgraded to 3.7%) is incompatible with zero percent interest rates.
The market is looking for a print of 220,000 jobs in August and an unemployment rate of 5.3%. Figures in this range will reinforce that the Fed is indeed in play for its first hike this month.
Elsewhere around the globe German retail sales on Monday night are expected to moderate, EU CPI is out as well with market looking for a very benign 0.1% YoY headline rate.
Chinese data will be important this week as well with the release of the official NBS manufacturing PMI and the Markit Caixin manufacturing and services PMIs also out Tuesday. It being the first week of the month, there’s a raft of PMIs out around the globe on Tuesday as well.
EU PPI is out Wednesday while Thursday sees the release of Korean GDP for Q2 and a raft of Service indices across the globe. There is also an ECb interest rate decison, statement and press conference. EU GDP is out Friday along with UK inflation expectations. But it’s non-farm payrolls that are the key.
It’s a huge week.
Here is Westpac’s diary of all the key events for the week.
Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn


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Tata Motors Jaguar Land Rover suffers Brexit blast; see what happened now
Fitch Ratings Wednesday placed Tata Motors' rating on 'Rating Watch Negative' on increasing risks of a disorderly Brexit impacting its profits mainstay Jaguar Land Rover Automotive.
Fitch Ratings Wednesday placed Tata Motors' rating on 'Rating Watch Negative' on increasing risks of a disorderly Brexit impacting its profits mainstay Jaguar Land Rover Automotive. JLR, which accounts for the majority of the company's profit generation, has a significant production bias to the UK despite a reasonable degree of geographic diversification in its sales mix, the global rating agency said in a note.
Trade barriers and logistic issues arising on a disorderly Brexit may impact on JLR's competitive positioning, and lead to significantly lower sales and profitability and higher working-capital needs, it added. Fitch has a long-term issuer default rating of 'BB' on Tata Motors. The rating action Wednesday follows similar view on JLR taken a day earlier.
Risks to JLR's business emanating from a disorderly Brexit will outweigh improving operating performance Tata Motors' domestic business, and lead to significantly lower cash generation and higher leverage than the rating case, it explained.
It will take a "few months" to resolve the Rating Watch Negative (RWN) as clarity emerges on outcome of Brexit negotiations and impact on Tata Motors, the agency said, warning that the rating can lead to a downgrade by at least one notch.
The Tata Motors scrip gained 1.51 per cent to close at Rs 178.20 a piece on the BSE, as against a 0.98 per cent surge in the benchmark.
Get Latest Business News, Stock Market Updates and Videos; Check your tax outgo through Income Tax Calculator and save money through our Personal Finance coverage. Check Business Breaking News Live on Zee Business Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe on YouTube.


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Possible e-mail theft from Epsilon slams banks, retailers
NEW YORK With the possible theft of millions of e-mail addresses from an advertising company, several large companies have started warning customers to expect fraudulent e-mails that try to coax account login information from them.
Companies behind such brands as Chase, Citi and Best Buy said over the weekend that hackers may have learned their e-mail addresses because of a security breach at a Dallas-based company called Epsilon that manages e-mail communications.
The e-mail addresses could be used to target spam. It’s also a standard tactic among online fraudsters to send e-mails to random people, purporting to be from a large bank and asking them to login in at a site that looks like the bank’s site. Instead, the fraudulent site captures their login information and uses it to access the real account.
The data breach could make these so-called “phishing” attacks more efficient, by allowing the fraudsters to target people who actually have an account with the bank.
David Jevans, chairman and founder of the non-profit Anti-Phishing Working Group, said criminals have been moving away from indiscriminate phishing towards more intelligent attacks known as “spear phishing,” which rely on having more intimate knowledge of the victims.
“This data breach is going to facilitate that in a big way. Now they know which institution people bank with, they know their name and they have their e-mail address,” said Jevans, who is also the CEO of security company IronKey.
“You’re not going to see typical phishing where 90% of it ends up in spam traps and is easily detected. This is going to be highly targeted,” he added.
Among the affected companies are financial companies like Capital One Financial, Barclays Bank, U.S. Bancorp, Citigroup, Ameriprise Financial and JPMorgan Chase, and retailers like Best Buy, TiVo, Walgreen and Kroger.
The College Board, the not-for-profit organization that runs the SATs, also warned that a hacker may have obtained student e-mail addresses.
Epsilon said Friday that its system had been breached, exposing e-mail addresses and customer names but no other personal information.
Epsilon, a unit of Alliance Data Systems, sends more than 40 billion e-mails annually and has more than 2,500 clients.
The scale of the data breach meant that many people got warnings from multiple companies over the weekend.
Jill Kocher in Crystal Lake, Illinois, said she got at least five e-mailed warnings, including from U.S. Bank and Best Buy.
Because she works for Groupon, an Internet coupon company, she feels savvy enough to avoid any phishing come-ons, but she’s concerned for those who aren’t.
“U.S. Bank sends you an e-mail and it looks legit and you cough up the information, and now you’re in big trouble. It sure does sound like a big increase in fraud, just waiting to happen,” Kocher said.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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2021 has been another good year for ecommerce and the companies powering ecommerce payments. Online stores continued to be the preferred destination of many shoppers, although growth for the major players slowed down on a quarterly basis due to the huge uptick brought by the pandemic last year.
Consumers are also showing a greater willingness to shop online cross-border. As Shopify data shows, 15% of orders during Black Friday and Cyber Monday were cross-border in 2021, up from 14% in 2020, and on a higher sales base.
Marketplaces and retailers continue to report positive, although slower growth in revenue and merchandise value sold compared to 2020. The stock market continues to reflect the positive performance of such players.
Ecommerce travel sales are revamping. Despite a slow start in Q1 2021, online travel operators have seen revenue and share prices grow in the past months. As the world reopens, cross-border travel improves. However, as shown in Mastercard’s Q3 results, revenue from cross-border travel account for 78% of revenue for the same quarter of 2019. Cross-border travel is still a long way from reaching the pre-crisis levels.


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Legendary ice cream company Ben and Jerry's has been creating unique flavors for years. Last fall, they began a different, but similarly interesting, venture: Ice cream-flavored beer. The company teamed up with New Belgium Brewing Company last fall to create the first variety, Salted Caramel Brownie Ale.
The ale proved to be a big hit, so the two companies are partnering again to create a beer out of one of Ben and Jerry's all-time popular flavors: Chocolate chip cookie dough.
If you fall in love with the flavor, you will also be doing some good: New Belgium has pledged to donate $50,000 of the ale's sales to Protect Our Winters (POW), a non-profit organization that strives to raise awareness about climate change.
"We are excited to be partnering once again with the good folks at Ben and Jerry's and POW," said New Belgium Director of Sustainability, Jenn Vervier.
Vervier continued, "The beer in development tastes amazing and we look forward to talking about climate change and climate action. With the upcoming election and a new administration, year two is even more important than the first round."
Ben and Jerry's revealed the partnership on Twitter:
— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) June 21, 2016
Fans had varying reactions:
Cookie Dough flavoured beer? If that's anything above 4% alcohol then I'm going to live off it
— Chetan (@Chetan_C07) June 22, 2016
@Zocalisa Hmmm. I like beer. I love chocolate and cookie dough. But together? Nah. Why mess with good thing(s)?
— Tricia Grayson (@tgla1) June 21, 2016
ben & jerry's cookie dough BEER? 😱
— Jo Almanzor (@sjhooray) June 21, 2016
You won't have to wait too long to experience Ben and Jerry's and New Belgium's latest experiment. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ale is slated to release this fall. Like the Salted Caramel Brownie Ale, it will be available for a limited time.
RELATED: Most popular beer in America


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Voicebot.ai has released its Australia Smart Speaker Consumer Adoption Report 2019 that now places the country ahead of the U.S. in user base, relative to population, despite having the devices available for less than half the time.
The report also highlights that 2 in 3 smart speaker owners now use their purchases to listen to radio.
In the 18 months since smart speakers became available in Australia, access by adults has gone from zero to 29.3%, or 5.7 million Australians, and the faster adoption rate has been accompanied by more intense usage with over 43% of smart speaker owners say they are also using voice assistants on their smartphones more since purchasing a smart speaker.
With nearly 1.8 smart speakers per user, that means over 10 million devices have been sold in the country to date meaning Australian smart speaker adoption was so rapid in 2018, that the user base relative to population now exceeds the U.S.
Unlike the U.S., Google Home in the market leader with a dominant market share of over 68% with Alexa (14%) and Apple HomePod (5.5%) both a long way behind, and the Google Home Mini is the most widely adopted smart speaker by a significant margin with 34.3% relative market share due mainly to its $79 price point.
Despite the low relative cost and heavy discounting during holiday periods, just under one-third of Australians without smart speakers are not interested in the product category, yet of those consumers without one, 16.1% are expected to make a purchase and three-out-of-four say they will acquire a smart speaker this year.
Eighty percent of smart speaker owners in Australia say they use them as least on a monthly basis, over 46% use them on a daily basis, meaning about 2.6 million Australians are using their smart speakers every day.
More than one in five smart speaker owners in Australia have purchased a smart display with the breakout leader in the category, the Google Home Hub, which only became available in October 2018 and has captured 41.5% share of smart displays.
The living room(58%) is by far the most popular location compared to 30.7% in the bedroom and 28.9% in the kitchen.
The top three uses of smart speakers is for asking general questions, playing streaming music, and learning about the weather, followed by setting a timer or alarm and then listening to radio followed by news and sport.
The number of users listening to radio has grown from 29.4% in 2017 to 67.4% showing significant growth in 18 months.


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Riedel Communications will supply intercom equipment to Danmarks Radio (DR), the national broadcaster of Denmark.
DR is building its new DR BYEN premises where all of its Copenhagen-based activities, which currently are spread among 12 locations, will be united into one new, fully digital multimedia facility.
DR selected Riedel Communications to deliver a fully digital intercom system to cover the entire DR BYEN facility in cooperation with Danish distributor Interstage.
The system will be based on a large number of Riedel Artist M frames connected in a dual fiber ring. The system will have fully integrated ISDN codec connections and wireless facilities.
For more information, visit www.riedel.net.
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The colours of the new Arsenal 2018/19 away kit have reportedly been leaked, eight months ahead of the planned launch date next July.
According to footyheadlines.com, Arsenal will wear a dark navy away shirt with bright red on the logos and Emirates writing. The badge could reportedly also be the same colour as it is in this year’s black and pink kit.
However, the design on the footyheadlines website uses the standard badge, as seen below:
It’s a nice colour scheme and one I wouldn’t mind seeing on an away kit, but at this stage I think it’s too early to get excited.
For a start, this seems more like a concept kit than a finished product, and a lot could change in the next eight months.
Not least, Arsenal might not even be with Puma anymore.
There are rumours on the same website that the Gunners could buy themselves out of their current deal in 2018 and switch to Adidas, who would reportedly pay a minimum of £80m per year. The Adidas rumour is one that has been around for at least a year now and PUMA did not respond when we contacted them to ask if there was any truth to them.
Without any certainty over who Arsenal’s kit manufacturer will be next year, I think it’s best to take any potential kit leaks with a shovel of salt, for now.


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This is an update on the fire on IKEA’s roof on Friday, August 24th.
A Facebook post by the Plymouth Fire Company states that firefighters successfully “contained the fire to the solar array on the roof and the facade of the building with minor smoke and water extension into the interior of the store.”
CBS3 reports that “fire officials” have stated that the fire at IKEA involved a solar panel on the roof. If you watch the video from CBS3 below, you can see the roof is covered in solar panels.
IKEA has posted on social media that the Conshohocken store will be closed through Saturday, August 25th.
UPDATE: IKEA Conshohocken will remain closed on Saturday, August 25th. Customers can find updates on when the store will reopen on the IKEA Facebook page and @IKEAUSA Twitter handle.
— IKEA USA (@IKEAUSA) August 24, 2018


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Nemak Receives $3 Million To Develop New Automotive Technologies
Tuesday January 10th, 2017
Posted at 10:06am
Hello time traveller!!
This article is 559 days old.
The information listed below is likely outdated and has been preserved for archival purposes.
Up to 70 jobs could be created after an investment announced today by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.
The funding of up to $3 million for Nemak of Canada Corporation, in partnership with Arbec Tool and Machine Ltd., will support the development of stronger engine blocks made of lightweight aluminum. These engine blocks will make cars lighter, more fuel-efficient and better for the environment.
These lightweight engine blocks will be produced by a fully automated robotic system, which itself is an innovation. This automated production system will allow Nemak to develop flexible manufacturing processes that will make the company more globally competitive.
“If Canada is to succeed in making the cars of the future, we must embrace greener, more sustainable technologies. These technologies will create the well-paying middle-class jobs of the future. Advanced research and development projects challenge today’s autoworkers to enhance their skill set. By having a workforce with skills that are in demand and the technologies that will shape the future of the industry, Canada’s auto sector can secure its place in the global supply chain of tomorrow,” said The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.


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‘We’re marching in the same direction’: Facebook is emphasizing Groups, and publishers are following suit
Publishers may be pulling away from Facebook in favor of keeping readers on their own sites, but they’re warming to Facebook Groups.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg overhauled Facebook’s mission last year to focus on fostering community, touting Groups in the process. Naturally, publishers are following suit. The New York Times, BuzzFeed and the “Today” show have all launched special-interest groups on the platform in the past few months.
Growing audience is the basic goal, but publishers are finding benefits beyond that. The Washington Post is trying to grow subscriptions, and PostThis, a Facebook group with more than 4,000 members, is an efficient way to promote the accountability journalism that seems to get people to subscribe. Bloomberg News uses Money Talks, a 3,500-plus member group, to promote its personal finance articles and its reporters and highlight content that Bloomberg News wouldn’t normally be associated with, like a 30-day challenge to get people to improve their financial health, said Meena Thiruvengadam, head of audience strategy.
“It’s engagement, it’s community, it’s urging people to build conversation around your stories,” she said.
Publishers’ and Facebook’s goals have often been at odds, but the groups seem to align with publishers’ focus on communities and subject-specific content — sort of a vertical strategy around community. The groups also are a way for publishers to promote their own journalists, who lead or join the discussions.
“We’re actually marching in the same direction,” said Matt Karolian, a Nieman Fellow at Harvard who heads social media at Boston Globe Media, which has two Facebook groups to discuss race and the news in general, each with about 3,000 members. A third, smaller one suggests things to do around Boston.
To promote the groups, Facebook launched analytics tools last year to help administrators track usage. Admins can now see the number of active members they have and how often they post and comment, which can show them if a particular topic resonates or not. Before, admins had to manually count this data. They can also qualify people before they join a particular group, which can help weed out trolls.
“For us so far, it’s definitely been worth it,” said Terri Rupar, senior projects editor at the Post who administers PostThis. “It’s not been a huge time investment, but it’s a way to connect readers with stories they really want to read. It’s been a useful way to say, ‘You’re interested in this, and this is a way to find it.’ Engagement can be tricky; we want to keep it from being overly partisan. But for the most part, the group has embraced what we’re trying to do.”
Publishers aren’t always pushing their own content. In a different approach, the Times has a podcast club of 22,000-plus members that it uses to lead discussions about podcasts but doesn’t expressly promote the Times’ own podcasts.
“We’re paying attention to what people respond to, and it does help us think about our own programming,” said Samantha Henig, editorial director for audio at the Times. “It also helps get The New York Times out there as an important brand in the audio space.”
For publishers, distributing content and conversation off-site is always a double-edged sword because they need to go where readers are, but they can’t track readers and upsell them to subscriptions and other products as well as they can when they’re on the publisher’s own site. Karolian said he hasn’t seen groups cannibalize The Boston Globe, where commenting tends to be article-specific.
“People are going to spend a set amount of time on Facebook every day, and I want them to spend as much time with us as possible,” he said. ”I don’t necessarily see it as competition with our website. Comments on our site are more important, but they’re more targeted to what people are reading at the moment.”
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ATX , a U.S. based provider of telematics services to automobile manufacturers, has announced that it will partner with Toyota Motor Sales USA to deploy Lexus Enform and Safety Connect, Toyota’s all-new telematics platform.
Safety Connect will include four safety and security facets: automatic collision notification, stolen vehicle location, emergency assistance button and roadside assistance.
ATX has said that it will provide multiple types of services including traditional location-based crash and in-vehicle emergency button response, maintenance reminders, and destination directions downloaded to the vehicle.
Jon Bucci, vice president of advanced technology department at Toyota Motor Sales USA, said: ATX brings over a decade of experience launching a variety of successful telematics platforms. ATX’s passion for telematics shows in their willingness to meet our specific business needs as well as Toyota’s high standards for personalised, customer care.
Previously, Toyota Motor Sales USA has announced that it will launch its proprietary telematics systems in the year to come. The all-new systems will be available on select models with customised versions for both Lexus and Toyota brands.
Jon Bucci, vice president of advanced technology department at Toyota Motor Sales USA, said: We are proud to introduce these services and advance our relationships with our customers by providing them the features they need to feel safer and more secure while on the road. Our primary focus while developing our services was on three key traits: choice, convenience and control. This article is from the CBROnline archive: some formatting and images may not be present.
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The End Of Throwaway Fashion
Many factors are contributing to hard times in the denim industry. These factors may encroach on the entire fashion world.
The Telegraph posted a story about Xingtang, a factory town in China. With 5,000 denim factories in the town, it produces about one-third of the world’s supply of jeans. However, many factors are causing production to slow down or stop completely, leading to speculation that the entire fashion industry may soon follow in denim’s footsteps.
Rising labor costs in China: China’s middle class is growing. Less employees willing to work in the south, the need for more disposable income, and construction jobs that pay more is leading to workers demanding more money.
The workers who were once happy to work for as little as £30 a month now want ten to 15 times that sum…”It is becoming impossible to find people to work,” said Han Zhongliang, a 46-year-old factory boss from Hubei. “I have been here ten years and I used to have 30 to 40 employees. But this year I will be lucky to find 20 who can do the job are willing to work for the wage we offer: 5,000 yuan (£490) a month.
Increasing government restrictions: New labor and anti-pollution laws are making it harder for the factories to be profitable. With pressure from organizations such as Greenpeace, China is working to improve its environmental practices.
“Only the fittest will survive. And they will have to go upmarket and stop making cheap clothes,” said Zhan Xueju, the powerful head of the local Denim Association.
Rising price of cotton: Due to floods in Pakistan and Australia, cotton is now three times more expensive than it was just last summer. This has caused more labels to add polyester to their jeans, giving them more sheen.
“I tried to place an order with a denim mill for one million yards and they told me they could not accept it because the cotton is now worth more than the denim,” said denim expert Richard Atkins.
The article concludes by saying that companies like Zara and H&M, who have earned huge profits from selling clothing that is made to be replace every season, may see trouble ahead.
[image courtesy windkeeper]


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As expected, the newly released 2013 Presidential Dollar Proof Set is the most popular product the U.S. Mint has for collectors right now.
Released Thursday, Feb. 14, the proof set captured sales of 119,765 units by Monday, Feb. 18. At $18.95 per, the U.S. Mint collected nearly $2.27 million through the set’s opening days and with one of them being Presidents Day.
While sales were strong and at a level other world mints would consider spectacular, they represent a declining trend for the U.S. Mint. Like other annual products from the bureau, the set’s starting sales are weaker than in recent years. The following table provides some comparisons.
Debut Sales of 2010 – 2012 Presidential Dollar Proof Set
|Debut Sales||Ending Sales|
|2013||$18.95||Feb. 14, 2013||Feb. 18, 2013||119,765||N/A|
|2012||$18.95||April 24, 2012||April 30, 2012||146,097||249,298*|
|2011||$19.95||Feb. 22, 2011||Feb. 27, 2011||163,129||299,853|
|2010||$15.95||Feb. 11, 2010||Feb. 14, 2010||224,426||535,463|
|2009||$14.95||Feb. 10, 2009||Feb. 15, 2009||82,168||627,925|
*The proof set from 2012 would have notched higher ending sales but it unexpectedly sold out. The U.S. Mint apparently capped its mintage at 250,000.
A major reason some collectors hold off on buying a Presidential $1 Coin Proof Set is because the coins in it are also within annual clad and annual silver proof sets that they do order. The clad 2013 Proof Set and 2013 Silver Proof Set launch in March and May.
This year’s set includes four proof dollars honoring the 25th through 28th Presidents of the United States. As such, the proof coins feature portraits of William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson. Each dollar has an "S" mint mark on its edge to denote production at the U.S. Mint facility in San Francisco.
The 2013 Presidential $1 Coin Proof Set may be ordered directly from the U.S. Mint’s online store at http://www.usmint.gov/catalog or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).


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Rambus has won the latest round in its four-year battle to collect royalties from memory chips makers which use patented Rambus high-speed memory interface technology in their products.
The US Supreme Court denied a request to review an appeal's court decision which favoured Rambus over German company Infineon Technologies. The semiconductor maker disputes Rambus' claims that it is entitled to collect the royalties in question.
The case will now go back to the lower court for a new trial.
"Today's rulings help substantiate the importance of our past inventions and allow us to continue our focus on technology leadership," said Rambus chief executive officer Geoff Tate.
Infineon said it will be ready for the new trial.
In May 2001, a court threw out all Rambus' claims of patent infringement against Infineon related to SDRAM (synchronous dynamic random access memory) and DDR SDRAM (double data-rate SDRAM). This decision was a response to the lawsuit Rambus had filed against Infineon.
That court also found Rambus guilty of fraud for obtaining patents on chip designs standards which were being developed at the time by the memory standards group JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council), of which Rambus was a member, and fined the company $3.5m. This decision was in response to an Infineon countersuit.
In October 2001, the court later refined its decisions on the Infineon countersuit, reducing the fraud fine to $350,000 and determined that Rambus had committed fraud with regards to SDRAM but not with regards to DDR SDRAM. The lower court also forbade Rambus from pursuing litigation in the US against Infineon's JEDEC-compliant SDRAM memory products
The court's actions were a blow to the crusade Rambus had launched in early 2000 to collect royalties from its SDRAM and DDR SDRAM patents.
However, the appeals court's decision in January 2003 deflated Infineon's victory by confirming the breadth of Rambus' patent claims, which the court had narrowed, and determining that Rambus had committed no fraud.
Infineon's attempt to have the court's decision restated died yesterday when the Supreme Court refused to review the appeals court's decision. Now Rambus' patent infringement claims will be retried at the lower court. Infineon's fraud allegations will not be retried, because the fraud verdict was reversed by the appeals court.
However, Rambus is still not out of the water on the JEDEC fraud allegations. The US Federal Trade Commission has charged the company with deceiving the JEDEC to profit from licensing fees. That case is being heard by an FTC administrative law judge tomorrow.
Rambus began its crusade in January 2000 when it sued Hitachi, alleging that the company had infringed on Rambus' high-speed memory interface technology in Hitachi semiconductor products featuring SDRAM and DDR SDRAM. Rambus wanted the court to forbid Hitachi from manufacturing, selling or importing chips featuring the patented technologies. The technologies in question had, until then, been made available to all manufacturers free of royalties.
Rambus scored a huge victory six months later when Toshiba agreed to sign a licensing deal with it and to pay royalties to Rambus regarding this issue.
About a week later Hitachi also relented and agreed to a licensing deal. In August 2000, Rambus confirmed it was having talks related to this issue with all major makers of SDRAM, seeking licensing agreements. The following month it signed a licensing agreement with NEC, and in November 2000 with Samsung Electronics.
However, not everybody agreed to Rambus' demands, including Infineon, Hynix Semiconductor and Micron Technologies, the three of which opted separately to fight Rambus in court to try to invalidate its patent claims.
A variety of legal actions have been taken since then by Rambus and its counterparts both in the US and Europe. The Infineon tussle is widely seen as the one that will make or break Rambus' claims. In November 2001, a US court postponed a lawsuit by Hynix pending the resolution of the Rambus appeal against Infineon.
Rambus also develops a memory interface called Direct RDRAM (Rambus dynamic random access memory), although it has not filed any legal claims on its licensing.
Juan Carlos Perez writes for IDG News Service


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RICOH introduces new wide-format colour plotter
RICOH announces the launch of a new IP CW2200 digital colour wide-format plotter, which is designed for producing CAD drawings, posters and other large documents (A1/A0) to support the wide-format needs of architecture, engineering, manufacturing and construction companies, sign makers as well as government departments. The compact, low volume, colour IP CW2200 enables the creation of high quality output quickly, easily, and affordably, said a release from the company. This new RICOH plotter complements the company’s recently launched RICOH IM CW2200 wide-format multifunctional printer that includes scanning capability for documents up to A0 size. The key benefits include: superior image quality for precise detail enabled by RICOH’s own variable dot GEL-Jet RICOH Piezo print heads and innovative GELJET pigment-based inks.


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Alstom has launched a validation test campaign for the Prima T8 AZ8A freight locomotives in Azerbaijan on the main freight transit line, which has recently been converted from 3kV DC to 25kV AC.
The Prima T8 AZ8A is based on the KZ8A locomotives currently in service in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan Railways’ specific technical requirements and is compliant with GOST standards and specifications.
In 2014, Azerbaijan Railways awarded a contract to EKZ joint venture comprising Alstom (75%) and TMH (25%) to supply a total fleet of 50 electric locomotives including 40 Prima T8 AZ8A freight locomotives and 10 Prima M4 AZ4A passenger locomotives.
EKZ employs 700 people and is working on supplying and maintaining the Prima electric locomotives ordered by Kazakhstan’s national railway company KTZ and export markets, like Azerbaijan.
“This is an important milestone in the project that we are developing together with Azerbaijan Railways (ADY). We are enthusiastic about the launch of the validation, which will ultimately allow our locomotives to enter commercial service in the country. Alstom is very proud of its strategic partnership with ADY, aiming to contribute to the development of railway infrastructure and increase of freight transportation capacity in Azerbaijan,” Guillaume Tritter, Managing Director of Alstom in Western and Central Asia, said.
Prima T8 is one of the most powerful electric locomotives in the world. This model is a 25 tonnes per axle two-section freight locomotive capable of hauling up to 9,000 tonnes and running at speeds of 120 km/h, with installed continuous power of 8.8 Megawatts.
The AZ8A is designed to operate in temperatures ranging from -25°C to 50°C. It requires minimum maintenance and provides high reliability levels and low lifecycle costs thanks to its modular design.
Prima range is covering all market segments of locomotives from heavy-haul, freight and passenger operation and shunting or track-work operation. Over the past 20 years, more than 3,200 Prima locomotives, with more than 4,600 sections have been sold worldwide.


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The warehousing clusters in NCR are spread along with major industrial hubs on peripheral road networks with easy access to Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan apart from Delhi. Industrial warehousing dominates the landscape due to the presence of large-scale manufacturing units.
According to the India Warehousing Market Report 2020 by Knight Frank, National Capital Region (NCR) emerges as the foremost market recording the highest volume of leasing at 8.6 million square feet (mn sq ft). It also recorded a 45 per cent CAGR growth in demand over a three-year period. The report also notes that an additional 193 mn sq ft of warehousing space can be built on the existing land committed to warehousing across the top eight cities of India. This works out to a 63 per cent addition to the existing 307 mn sq ft of warehousing stock in these markets
NCR has a development potential multiple of 1.75, which implies that 75 per cent more warehousing space can be added to the region. The current stock is reported to be 57 mn sq ft with a potential of expansion to 100 mn sq ft on warehousing land of 4,178 acres in NCR.
In FY2020, 28 per cent of the warehousing space was leased by e-commerce followed by the manufacturing sector (24 per cent). Major occupiers such as Flipkart and Amazon took up warehouses at the exit points of the Kundli Manesar Palwal Expressway (KMP).
The CAGR for warehousing transactions for the period FY2017-20 in NCR remained positive with 45 per cent. The warehousing demand in the NCR market has kept vacancy levels low at 13.9 per cent compared to other markets such as Bengaluru and Pune which have vacancy levels of 29.7 per cent and 21.8 per cent, respectively. The report cited nationwide implementation of Goods & Services Tax (GST) in the year 2017 as amongst the most meaningful interventions in the Indian warehousing sector. GST led to a transformative shift to efficiency-based location and size strategy rather than tax saving focused objective. Mudassir Zaidi, Executive Director – North, Knight Frank India, said, “The demand for warehousing in NCR saw an upward swing in FY2019, however due to the pandemic, occupiers and developers have become cautious. Demand from the e-commerce segment is expected to rise, albeit for mid-sized facilities along the NH-48 belt to capitalise on essential services demand from Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Greater Noida and other peripheral consumption centres.”


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A developer has issued a patch that will enable users of Windows 7 and 8.1 to circumvent Microsoft's ban on machines with the most modern chipsets from receiving critical updates.
Microsoft recently enforced a rule that stops computers running Intel Kaby Lake microprocessors from installing updates to pre-Windows 10 operating systems.
Kaby Lake is Intel's latest chip microarchitecture and, as such, for many it brought a premature end-of-life to their machines. AMD's Bristol Ridge range is also blocked.
Microsoft, for its part, is simply trying to persuade users to migrate to Windows 10. But of course, that's another £100 to add to the budget for anyone who, for example, is planning to upgrade their PC's CPU.
However, GitHubber Zeffy had been preparing for the arrival of the patch (KB3012218), which was delivered in March's Patch Tuesday. Because of Microsoft's new policy of delivering monthly updates in one or two, large unwieldy files it's not possible to skip individual updates.
Zeffy's solution consists of four batch files, which patch the Windows DLL skipping the CPU version check.
The reverse engineered scripts have now been released to GitHub for inspection, fiddling and general refinement by the open-source developer community. But word on the street is that they work and that, after patching, all security updates are reinstated.
Microsoft has been heavily criticised for the move, which has created an artificial end-of-life to operating systems that are not due to go ex-support for another five years, in the case of Windows 8.1.
The DLL in question, wuaueng.dll, is revised from time to time, after which you'll need to repatch, because it resets the value of "supported CPU" back from ‘1' to ‘0' - so it's not perfect, but it's better than having to succumb to live with an insecure PC due to Microsoft's tactics to force people into upgrading to Windows 10.
However, users are advised to apply the patches at their own risk, of course.
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